page_title: Ralf Schumacher
section_title: 2006
hierarchical_section_title: Ralf Schumacher / Formula One career / Toyota (2005–2007) / 2006
caption_attribution_description: Toyota F1 drivers Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli at the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix.
context_page_description: Ralf Schumacher is a German former racing driver. He is the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher and the pair are the only siblings to win Formula One races.
  Schumacher began karting at the age of three and achieved early success before making the transition to automobile racing in the German Formula Three Championship and the Formula Nippon series. He first drove in Formula One with Jordan Grand Prix for the 1997 season. Schumacher moved to the Williams F1 team in 1999, finishing sixth in the Drivers' Championship that year. He won his first Grand Prix in 2001, en route to fourth place in the Drivers' Championship, and subsequently won five more races over the course of two years.
  Schumacher left Williams at the end of 2004 and joined Toyota Racing in 2005. However, his performance throughout 2006 and 2007 resulted in Schumacher leaving Formula One, as a result of internal pressure. After leaving Formula One, Schumacher joined the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters in 2008, achieving minor success, and retired from motorsport at the end of 2012 to enter a managerial role within DTM, mentoring young drivers.
context_section_description: Schumacher continued at Toyota and was again partnered by Trulli for 2006. He was ambitious for the upcoming season: saying, "We're looking to win some races. That's what our target should be and let's hope it's a realistic one". He started the season with a non-points finish in Bahrain as both Toyota cars were off the pace, but managed to score his and Toyota's first points of the season with eighth place in Malaysia. He managed to secure his and Toyota's only podium finish of the season in Australia.
  Schumacher took ninth place in San Marino, but suffered consecutive retirements in the next three races. However, he was able to finish the next five consecutive races, which included points scoring positions in France, Hungary and Turkey. He was unable to finish the races in China and Brazil, due to problems with his car's oil pressure and suspension respectively. On 29 September, Schumacher was elected as the chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA), the trade union of Formula One drivers. He finished the season tenth in the Drivers' Championship, and scored 20 points.
caption: Schumacher (bottom) leads teammate Jarno Trulli in the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix
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